Cable lock

ABSTRACT

This is a cable lock particularly designed to facilitate locking motorcycles, bicycles, snowmobiles and outboard motors to a post or tree to prevent theft and includes an elongated cable and a pair of mating block sections with means for securely locking the same around the cable to form a positively locked loop, the dimensions of the lock sections, when in locked position, being greater than the jaw opening of conventional bolt cutters and the cable being of a material not susceptible to being cut with such cutters.

United States Patent [191 Stone 1] 3,841,118 [451 Oct. 15,1974

[ 1 CABLE LOCK [76] lnventor: Richard W. Stone, 7235 17th Ave.

S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55423 221 Filed: Sept. 28, 1973 [211 App]. No.: 401,567

[52] US. Cl.....- 70/33, 70/15, 70/49 [5 1] Int. Cl EOSb 67/06, EOSb 73/00 [58] Field of Search 70/14, 15, 18, 19, 30,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,814,356 7/1931 Wise 70/15 3,728,879 4/1973 Best 70/38 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 73,498 7/1917 Austria 70/19 421,056 5/1947 Italy 70/19 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John W. Adams 57] ABSTRACT This is a cable lock particularly designed to facilitate locking motorcycles, bicycles, snowmobiles and outboard motors to a post or tree to prevent theft and includes an elongated cable and a pair of mating block sections with means for securely locking the same around the cable to form a positively locked loop, the

dimensions of the lock sections, when in locked position, being greater than the jaw opening of conventional bolt cutters and the cable being of a material not susceptible to being cut with such cutters.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CABLE LOCK There has been a constantly increasing problem with the theft of bicycles, motorcycles, snowmobiles and outboard motors. In most cases the thieves use long handled lever type bolt cuttersand more recently the use of Freon refrigerant to freeze hardened metal used in padlocks and chains has become popular. When this metal is frozen it is susceptible to breakage when struck with a hammer. It has been found to be considerably more difficult to cut hardened cable such as the type known in the industry as air craft type control cable. Bolt cutter devices tend to mash and pass around the hardened strands of the cable instead of cutting the same. In other words it is considerably easier to cut a hardened hasp or padlock or a hardened chain link than it is to cut such cables. Furthermore chain links and padlock hasps are susceptible to being quickly frozen by using a pressurized Freon refrigerant. The cable strands, however, dissipate the cold and are considerably more difficult to freeze since the cold will not penetrate to the core portion of the cable structure.

It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a cable locking device which cannot be easily cut by bolt cutters and is not susceptible to being broken or otherwise opened as are other types of locking devices.

More specifically it is an object to provide a pair of V mating block sections adapted to be locked together around the two end portions of a cable provided with enlarged stop elements such as knobs swagged onto-the cable ends to permit locking said twocable ends together to provide a'connecting loop for attaching a machine to a permanent anchoring fixture.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my locking device;

' FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line of 2-2 of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line of 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the'mating face of one of the block sections; and, 1

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing the mating face of the other block section. I

The locking device consists in two mating sections and 11 formed from suitable material such as cast aluminium or the like. The dimensions of the two sections when in locked together position as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 is sufficiently large to prevent the samefrom being receivedbetween the jaws of even large sized bolt cutters. In other words all three dimensions must be greater than one inch when in locked'together-position. The two sections 10 and ll-have mating faces 10a and 11a and eachface has one outwardly projecting lug respectively designated by the referencecharacters 10c and 110. And each face has a mating recess respectively designated by reference characters 10d and 11d.

froma hammer, chisel or the like.

By extending the cables through the mated locked section respectively combine with the mating grooves 12 of the other section to surround the cable but permit rotation thereof in the mated grooves 12. A pair of knobs 13a are fixed to the ends of the cable 13 by any suitable means such as by swagging to prevent removal of the cable end portions from the mated sections 10 and 11.

Suitable means for locking the two sections 10 and 11 together are provided such as the key type lock having a suitable outer casing element 14 which is positively anchored within one of the sections such as in.

section 11 as illustrated. A rotatable core member 15 is received within the casing 14 and has a threaded extension portion l5a fixed to one end thereof for threaded projection into a tapped hold 16a formed in a hardened sleeve insert 16 held in block 10 by a retaining member 17. Suitable means for normally preventing rotation of the core member 15 in the casing 14 are provided such as the spring biased slide or tumbler members (not shown) normally projected into an internal keyway (not shown) formed in casing 14. When a key of theproper configuration is inserted into the key 7 opening in the core member: 15 the slidesor tumblers are retracted from the keyway and permit the threaded portion to be removed from the tapped hold 10e formed in block section 10. The casing element 14 is fixed to the block section 11 as by a retaining plate 14a having a pressed fit therewith and a retaining pinextends through the core 15 and permits rotation thereof when the spring biased locking slides or tumblers are retracted by a key of the proper configuration. This locking arrangement'affords a simple yet highly effective means for positively securing the mating block sections 10 and 11 together around the end portions of the cable 13.'The casing 15 and core are recessed into the block section 11 to protect the same against impact vice whichis extremely difficult for thieves to cut or otherwise open and which affords substantial ment'over locks presently in use.

It will, of course, be understood'that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the; scope of this invention'as set forth in the appended'claims; What is claimed-is: g v I l. A-Iocking devicefor snowmobiles, motorcycles, outboard motors and bicycles comprising an elongated cable having stop knobs positively secured to the ends thereof, 1 a pair of mating block sections having cooperating grooves in opposed registration to receive and surround selected portions of said'cable, a locking member positively securing said two sections together to clamp the same around said cable,

improvesaid knobs prevent the cable ends from being removed from the locked together sections,

the dimensions of said two sections being sufficiently being slightly smaller in diameter than the mated large to prevent the same from being received begrooves of said block sections to permit rotation of the tween the jaws of a lever type cutting device. cable portions therein.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said cable 

1. A locking device for snowmobiles, motorcycles, outboard motors and bicycles comprising an elongated cable having stop knobs positively secured to the ends thereof, a pair of mating block sections having cooperating grooves in opposed registration to receive and surround selected portions of said cable, a locking member positively securing said two sections together to clamp the same around said cable, said knobs prevent the cable ends from being removed from the locked together sections, the dimensions of said two sections being sufficiently large to prevent the same from being received between the jaws of a lever type cutting device.
 2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said cable being slightly smaller in diameter than the mated grooves of said block sections to permit Rotation of the cable portions therein. 